Strictly Come Dancing sensation Tom Dean has reportedly split from his girlfriend, Charlotte Phillips. The Olympic swimmer, aged 24, is said to have ended the relationship shortly after his stint on the BBC dance show, sparking rumours of the infamous ‘Strictly curse’ once again.
The pair had been an item for a year but decided to call it quits as their romance “naturally run its course”, insiders claim. Tom, who was the first celebrity to be voted off this season alongside professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova, 35, left the show in the initial week after a dance-off with Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones.
Despite the timing, a source told MailOnline that the breakup had nothing to do with Tom’s appearance on Strictly, stating: “Like in so many breakups, Tom and Lottie’s year-long relationship had naturally run its course and it has nothing to do with Strictly. It just happened to be in the first two weeks that they decided to part ways.”
The insider added that the former couple remains on friendly terms: “They are still good friends and it’s all amicable between them.”
Charlotte Phillips, known as ‘Lottie’, works as a communications executive at NewsUK and keeps a low profile with a private Instagram account. However, Dean has shared images of them together on his social media, reports Birmingham Live.
Lottie is a Cardiff University alumna, where she completed her masters in marketing from 2018 to 2022.
Express Online have contacted Tom’s representatives for comment.
Following the surprising breakup between Tom’s partner Nadiya and her Strictly beau Kai Widdrington prior to the latest series, insiders at The Sun have disclosed that backstage strife has overwhelmed the show, with reports claiming Kai, 29, and Nadiya can’t bear to be near each other.
The so-called ‘Strictly Curse’ appears to have touched approximately 20 pairings throughout the show’s two-decade run, impacting celebrity couples like Louise and Jamie Redknapp, as well as professional dancers Kevin Clifton and Karen Hauer.
In a stir of controversy, Judge Craig Revel Horwood has previously remarked on the infamous curse: “I think of it as a blessing, to be honest. One person is married, the other one had a girlfriend but my point in this entire thing is: if you come on Strictly, sometimes you are in a relationship that is not working anyway.”
“There has to be something wrong in your relationship before it all goes awry.”